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Thanks for the offer. Just looking for something a llitle cheaper than that and if the Crazy crib works out Ill see if I can get a Pro deal from Crazy Creek for our school. Im short on cash, Im a college student need I say more. The money Im getting for returning my books is going to supplies for work. Thanks for the offer though.
Cody

I'm also a college student (for 5 more weeks ) so I understand the dilemma. Learn how to sew - whole WORLDS will open up!

"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson

Yea I know how to sew quite well but I don't have a machine on hand and once classes end I head over to where I work , not much time in the middle to get on a machine or get fabric but Ill see about borrowing a portable machine and bring it to work. Any cheep Kits or any free patterns you would recommend.

Yea I know how to sew quite well but I don't have a machine on hand and once classes end I head over to where I work , not much time in the middle to get on a machine or get fabric but Ill see about borrowing a portable machine and bring it to work. Any cheep Kits or any free patterns you would recommend.

There are kits available for some of the DIY gear we make. You can get a Speer hammock kit for pretty cheap:

I recently bought a Crazy Creek Crib LEX with Ultralight Tarp from Campmor for about $95. I've slept in it 3 nights while car-camping in the North Cascades. It dropped down to 40 degrees or so at night and it did not rain (so I don't know how well the silnylon tarp works). It's comfortable with a Therma Rest. The ThermaRest stretches out the bottom a bit so it does not tube up so much. A Z-Rest doesn't stretch the bottom out as much. Since I carry a Z-Rest backpacking and not a heavy ThermaRest, I'll have to wait to see how it goes with a Z-Rest.

It's easy to set up and well built. I like the sturdy straps. But, it's relatively heavy weighing in at about 3.5 lbs. Although it weighs no more than the average 1-person tent especially if you consider the weight savings of not having to pack a groundsheet (7 oz. in my case). The pole/zipper problem mentioned in various Web reviews isn't that bad. You just have to make sure the mosquito netting is not bunched up down low and you stretch the netting to the zipper as you zip.

I got my dog in this hammock with me. He hopped right in once I stabilize the hammock with my feet on the ground, then swung my feet up over him, then a sleeping bag over both of us. He kept my bottom warm and I kept his top warm. However, they first time I got him in the crib, his paw claws caught the mosquito netting and ripped a big gash. Now there's a big, ugly patch in the netting. The dog can wiggle around a little bit in the hammock but walking around is out of the question. The dog has to stay still. If there's an intruder or varmint approaching in the middle of the night, and he goes into alert barking, I could have problems.

I sprayed the bottom of the hammock with Permethrin so mosquitoes can't bite through the nylon bottom. We'll see how that goes. Mosquito weeks in the Cascades is approaching as all the snow melts off.

For years, I always thought hammocks were for the backyard, to lounge in on summer days. I've been backpacking since 1990 and feel cheated that I never used a hammock until 2007.

Last edited by hikingjer; 06-15-2007 at 03:29.
Reason: left out important details

I have a crazy creek crib, but I got it several years ago, they may have changed since then, don't know. It came with a tarp, sort of like the Ray Jardine tarps, it had beaks on either end. It was very well made and very strong, really liked the small metal webbing tensionng/adjusting thingys. My problem with the hammock was for me it was not comfortable due to shoulder squeeze. I tried different ways to add my own spreader bar but was unsuccessful. The hammock was sort of like an envelope, when I would lay in it they sides would come together and almost touch above me, I felt like I was in a coffin. Put me off using a hammock for about 5 years. Finally read everyones posts on whiteblaze and put up the money for an HH - loved it. Then got Speers book and found you can make em yourself for about 15 bucks if you can find ripstop at walmart for $1/yard. The speer style is just as comfortable to me as the HH, but I'm not much for sewing so my speers don't have netting. Ended up cutting the webing off the crazy creek to use the metal thingy's to tension the webbing for the speer.

welcome to the group hikingjer & greggg3.
better give some thought to having the dog in the hammock w/ you my friend<g>... if a toe nail pokes through the hammock, a person's body weight could very well cause it to rippppppp the length of the hammock, putting both of you on the ground. ...tim

--"a person's body weight could very well cause it to rippppppp the length of the hammock, putting both of you on the ground."

That would be a heck of a way to wake up in the middle of the night! But, I'll take my chances. The nylon seems strong, I try to keep his nails clipped and he's on the ThermaRest which is covered by the pad sleeve. I'm more worried about the mosquito netting when he's getting in and out.

greggg3:

I don't have the shoulder squeeze/coffin/envelope problem mentioned. Atleast not with a ThermaRest to act as a spreader. It's very important to keep the crib stretched very tight between trees, as tight as possible so it doesn't sag and give wrap around problem.

Thanks for mentioning the Speers hammock. Since the Crazy Creek Lex Crib is relatively heavy for ultralight backpacking, I want a Hennessy A-sym UL. But, they're so expensive. Don't want to drop $130+ to knock 1.5 lbs. off my pack weight for the 3-4 trips a year when I can use a hammock. I think I'll take the Speers or other lightweight hammock with the Crazy Creek sil-nylon tarp for backpacking and reserve the Crazy Creek Crib LEX for car-camping and colder weather.

Yea I know how to sew quite well but I don't have a machine on hand and once classes end I head over to where I work , not much time in the middle to get on a machine or get fabric but Ill see about borrowing a portable machine and bring it to work. Any cheep Kits or any free patterns you would recommend.

Why not ask one of us DIY hammock makers to give you a hammock that we no longer use?